Adam Papin/MDN Minot pitcher Tyler Buchanan tags out St. Mary’s Connor Schatz (6) as he tries to steal home on a passed ball in the first inning of game one of Tuesday night’s doubleheader.

When the Minot High baseball team (12-6 overall, 9-5 West Region) faced off against St. Mary’s (6-10 overall, 4-10 West Region) at Corbett Field last night, solidifying seeding for regional tournament was top of mind for both teams.

The Magi and the Mandan Braves both came into Tuesday with four conference losses, but Minot had two more WDA wins to hold down fourth place.

St. Mary’s arrived with a long-shot chance at avoiding the play-in games for a spot in the WDA quarterfinals. However, the Saints would need to sweep the Magi, and get help from other teams to make that a reality.

Minot controlled much of game one, taking a 3-2 lead into the sixth inning. However, three outs and three Magi pitchers later, the Saints had put five runs on the board to open up a four-run lead on the Magi.

After giving up a single to Conrad Kalberer, pitcher Tyler Buchanan hit Logan Herman with a pitch to end his day. Hunter Horner walked Ben Zenker to score Kelberer. Peyton Koppy then hit a two-run single to right field that scored Logan Herman and Jacoby Grimm. Tommy Krajlic scored on a wild pitch. Koppy would come around to score on a Connor Schatz single, giving the Saints a 7-3 lead.

The Magi answered right back with Parker Hann hitting a lead-off triple, followed by a Tyler Collins walk. After a Saints’ pitching change, Mason Zietz hit a sacrifice fly to score Hann. St. Mary’s Hank Barry struck out Roedocker for the second out before Noah Stenvold grounded out to end the inning, with the Magi trailing 7-4.

The visitors loaded the bases with two outs after two Saints were hit by pitches. However, Schatz grounded out to end the inning.

Minot needed three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but they would only manage two. With two outs, Minot hit back-to-back singles by Kellan Burke and Jayden Speraw before Hann doubled to score both runners, making it 7-6. An error at first moved the tying run to third, with Tyler Collins on first. However, Zietz grounded out to end the game.

Burke picked up the loss for the Magi, giving up one run on two hits in 1 ½ innings of work. Horner gave up 2 runs on zero hits, walking two. Tyler Buchanan picked up a no decision, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out eight and walked two in a 5 1/3 inning start.

Schatz picked up the win for St. Mary’s, throwing 2/3 of an inning and giving up one run on one hit. Barry picked up the save for the Saints.

“We were just trying to get the pitcher ahead and let the defense work to get the third out,” said St. Mary’s coach Michael Feldman. “I think after what happened last week, it’s a big turning point for us. The win gives our guys a bit of confidence. We told our guys to go out [in game two] and feed off of it. Don’t settle and keep playing.”

Game two saw Minot open up with a 1-0 lead on a Hann RBI double that scored Eaton Panasuk. St. Mary’s answered in the top of the second. With the bases loaded, Braden Nelson hit Barry with a pitch, scoring Logan Herman to tie the game at 1-1.

With the score still 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning, lighting halted the game for a weather delay. After thirty minutes, play resumed during a light rain. In the bottom of the fourth, Collins scored on an errant pickoff throw as Stenvold stole second. A balk advanced Stenvold to third, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Horner to make it 3-1 Magi after four.

After a quiet fifth and sixth, Minot needed just three outs to escape with the split. Barry grounded out for the first out before Schatz reached on a single. Schatz then advanced to second on a Kraljic walk. Minot went to the bullpen, trusting Hann to get the final two outs. A Reichert sacrifice fly advanced Schatz to third while Kraljic stayed at first. Kraljic then stole second to put the runner in scoring position. Hann struck out Matthew Porter to end the game.

Nelson picked up the win, giving up one run on four hits, with three strikeouts. Hann earned the save with a key strikeout in the bottom of the seventh. Larson took the loss for the Saints, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Minot will close out its regular season when they welcome the Watford City Wolves to Corbett Field on Saturday for a doubleheader. Game one will start at 12:30 p.m. St. Mary’s will take on cross-town rival Bismarck at Haaland Field Saturday, with first pitch at noon.